The Kamijou Residence, August 2, mid-morning.
In the Kamijou dorm, the two boys are dressing themselves up for the Tokiwadai Highschool festival. Touma rummages under his bed and grabs a backpack and stuffs necessary things he thought he and Shulk would need. Water bottles, more water bottles, a picnic blanket. Bandages. The usual.
"Okay, Shulk, do you have your..." Touma slowly trails off. His eyes fall on what seems to be a tiny machine. The jumble of metal and rubber has a large rod and some wires that are tangled together. "What is that?"
Shulk tosses the machine to Touma. It starts to fumble out of his hands but he catches it.
"It's an electric conductor. I've known Mikoto for three weeks now, and I know she has a tiny 'impulse' problem when it comes to her powers. This is simply a preventative measure."
"Y'know, that just might be a good idea. But, where does the electricity go?"
The mess of papers on the household kotatsu likely holds the answers. Shulk picks them up and takes quick glances. "I spent last night trying to figure out how Mikoto's electricity works, and how I can disperse it into the air," Shulk explains, showing off the machinery. "This is mostly a prototype, but it should probably work. If anything goes wrong, use your right hand."
"In that case, we'd better get going. Someone's waiting for me there." Touma swings the door open, then turns back to the apartment and yells. "INDEX, WE'RE HEADING OUT! BREAKFAST AND LUNCH ARE IN THE FRIDGE!"
The two walk out of the door, and venture to Tokiwadai's midsummer festival.
Tokiwadai Dormitory's Lobby
People filter in and out of the academy's dorm, packed with students from all over Academy City. The lobby's fancy marble floor is eye-catching and compliments the painted white wall.
"Woah, this place is huge!" Shulk marvels. Students shuffle by him and Touma. "You could probably fit a Gogol in this room!"
"What's a Gogol? Ah, forget it." Touma's eyes scout the room. "Now, where could she be?" He scans and sees a certain girl. She has long black hair and a single white flower in her hair.
Shulk spots the girl as well, and the two watch her approach another girl with a headband full of flowers. Abruptly, Shulk's eyes begin to glow blue as a vision begins.
A vision, here? Does that girl attack the one with the flowers in her hair?
"UiiiihaaRUUUUU!"
Shulk watches as the girl...flips the flower girl's skirt up.
WHAT!?
Shulk's vision ends, and he suddenly feels like this situation is more dangerous than being attacked. Touma notices Shulk's physical recoil.
"Hey, Shulk, what's wro—"
"LOOK OUT!"
Uiharu turns around to look at the whistleblower, but it's too late.
"UiiiihaaRUUUUU!" Instead of facing the opposite direction, Uiharu faces her enemy as her skirt is flipped.
"AHHHHHHH!"
The other girl looks over to Shulk and Touma and waves.
"Hey, Touma!" She then returns to reflecting on Uiharu's panties. Nodding, she speaks. "Stripes are a classic, but polka dots are always better. Mhm, mhm."
As the two duos come together, Shulk and Uiharu continue to sulk.
"I couldn't change the future..." Shulk sobs, both hands and knees on the floor.
"It had to be from the front," Uiharu sobs, both hands and knees on the floor. "I had to pick stripes..." Meanwhile, Touma and Saten have a normal conversation.
"So, who's the blond dude?" Saten looks down at the two, who are now crying together on the floor. Crouching near Shulk, Saten speaks. "I'm Saten Ruiko, she's Uiharu Kazari."
"This is Shulk," Touma says. Then, he quiets down to a whisper. "He can see the future, and he's got a really cool sword. He got ranked Level 5 about a week ago during the System Scan."
"He's the famous dude everyone at school was talking about?" Saten questions. She places a finger on her chin as she remembers the rumors from her schoolmates. "I'm surprised he hasn't been swarmed yet. People must not recognize him."
"We should keep it like that, too," Touma adds dryly.
"Hey, now that you've found us, I think we should look for Misaka." Saten thinks with a quizzical look. "She apparently needs 'urgent help'."
"Help? Is she in trouble?"
"Something like that. Apparently, she got roped into the Tokiwadai festival performance. Misaka played the violin last year, if you remember, but she was told to do a magic trick this year."
"...Magic tricks?"
"Like we'd know. I'm not the one in trouble for pranking Tokiwadai's dorm supervisor."
"And why should we help?"
"No clue. I'd feel bad if we didn't."
"So, is Uiharu helping out?"
"I'd ask the same about your blond friend."
"Then it's yes for both."
"Well then," Saten grabs Touma's plus one and drags himalong. "It's the Tokiwadai festival, might as well have fun. We'll look for Misaka along the way."
"Alright, Uiharu, let's go..." Touma drags Uiharu through the crowd.
"So, Shulk's your name, right pretty boy?" Saten drags Shulk by the foot, right behind Touma.
Tokiwadai's outdoor courtyard.
The group of four stand at one of many tents across the campus. People walk around as they are led by Tokiwadai student tour guides.
"D-donuts!?" Shulk marvels at the array of confectionaries laid in front of them. Powdered, glazed, chocolate, strawberry. Some donuts were even expertly decorated with tiny ornaments and sprinkles. Any type of donut someone could think of was at this stand.
"Your world has donuts?" Saten stares at Shulk's thrilled face. Her thoughts begin to wander as she takes in the fact that he was the same rank as Misaka, a Level Five.
This guy is actually Level Five? He's...nicer than the others. I can see why he and Misaka are friends.
"How much do these cost?" Shulk eagerly asks.
"Donuts cost three hundred yen each," the young vendor in a Tokiwadai uniform says, as Saten and Touma visibly flinch.
"Expensive, huh," the two mumble to themselves. Saten sets her eyes on Uiharu who is looking at another stand. She walks up and taps her best friend's shoulder.
"Hey, Uiharu, do you have any money I can borrow?" Saten asks, coating her words with sugar.
Uiharu enthusiastically pulls out her wallet and checks the coin pocket.
"What do you need it for?" she asks, beaming.
"We're getting donuts, they cost four hundred yen each."
"Hey, aren't the donuts three hun—"
Saten covers Shulk's mouth with her hand, silencing his observation.
"Oh, I see!" Uiharu digs out a 1,000 yen bill and some coins. "If that's four donuts, then here's 1,600 yen."
Donuts in hand, Saten mischievously giggles, stuffing the extra change in her pocket while Shulk watches disappointedly. Each person grabs a donut and Saten mentions the game plan.
"Misaka said we'd meet at the girl's bathroom, so we should head there," Saten suggests. Everyone else nods in agreement.
A brisk walk later, the group stumbles upon Misaka, hiding everything below her head inside the restroom. The girl's bathroom is quiet and seemingly empty except for her.
"Ah, Mikoto! You said you needed help?" Shulk studies Misaka's embarrassed face. "You look like you're hiding something."
Misaka looks at Touma and Saten. Her shoulders slump in defeat.
"Promise you won't laugh."
"Promise?" Shulk says confusedly. He and Touma look at each other. "Okay, I promise."
"Here it goes," she says with a sigh.
Misaka walks out from behind the corner, wearing...a maid outfit.
Staring blankly, Shulk and Touma form a small huddle with Saten and Uiharu. Multiple whispers are exchanged, and then the cluster splits. Shulk opens his mouth to speak, but Saten interrupts.
"Looks like they made the maid outfits skimpier than last year, huh?"
Misaka's shame changes to anger (though she is still very, very ashamed), and the violent static can be felt even from where the group is standing.
"And here I thought..." The surrounding area slowly becomes a more scary place to be in. "YOU WERE HERE TO HELP ME!"
Misaka sends voltage towards the small group, and the group all brace for the shocks, but Shulk points his electric conductor at the outburst. The attack is dispersed as ether into the air, which then gathers into Shulk's necklace. Touma and Uiharu sigh with relief.
"Ah, it works!" Shulk grins, delightfully surprised.
"Heh, that was close." Saten chuckles. Everyone but Shulk gives Saten an annoyed glance. "Heh..."
What a cheeky girl, Shulk thinks to himself with a smile.
Misaka looks at Uiharu.
"Did you bring my change of clothes?"
"I did! Here." Uiharu tosses a string bag to Misaka. She peers inside.
"Thanks, Uiharu, I'll be right back." Misaka holds the bag in both hands. "Stay here, okay?" She slinks back into the bathroom. Now that Misaka's gone to change clothes, Shulk turns to Saten.
"Ruiko, should we think of what Mikoto's act should be?"
"Maybe Misaka herself should be here to talk about it with us."
"I was thinking that maybe she could do a card trick with her electromaster abilities," Uiharu proposes.
"I doubt we could figure something out fast enough," Saten responds. She takes a quick glance at a clock on the wall. "We only have around thirty minutes."
"How about a teleporting act with Kuroko?" Touma says.
"She's at Judgement Branch 177," Uiharu denies. This conversation was slowly reaching a dead end.
"If we're thinking of ideas that use Mikoto's powers," Shulk thinks, "What if we did something with lights?"
"I think that's a good idea." Misaka approaches from behind, dressed in a well-designed magician's outfit, even coming with a large tophat.
"Wow! That outfit looks cool!" Uiharu says aloud.
"Don't say it so loud..." Misaka's head tilts down, hiding her tiny blush.
Sweat drips from Touma's uniform while he remarks at the heatwaves in the air. "It's hot," he grumbles, unwisely.
"Y-you think it's hot?" Misaka looks at her outfit, while her face is completely red. Her thoughts start to wonder how the idiot thought the outfit was sexy. Most of the design was up to Saten, and her fashion sense was pretty mild; this wasn't showing that much skin, was it?
"Y'know, you're looking a bit hot, too. Need some water?" Touma holds out a cold bottle of water, still oblivious. Shulk and Saten start chuckling to themselves while Uiharu covers her giggles with her hand. It really seems like Touma is the only one who doesn't realize what is happening.
"When did that idiot get so smooth..?" Misaka mutters under her breath.
Touma raises an eyebrow in confusion. "What? Oh, are you asking about the costume? I guess it looks good."
"Yeah, it's pretty impressive," Shulk agrees, pausing to stifle his laughs with a clearing of his throat. "I have to ask, though. Who made the outfit?"
"Saten did most of it," Misaka answers. "I asked her to do it a few days before the festival, and approved of the final design."
Saten checks the clock again and gasps. "Oh crap! We're burning daylight!" She turns to Misaka with haste. "There isn't any time to figure out an actual act. You wanna go with Shulk's idea?"
"Since we're working with Misaka's ability, lights should be easy enough. It might look cool, too." Touma visualizes the act in his head, but there is a tiny problem with it. "Where would we get the lightbulbs for that, though?"
"We have a small room with a bunch of techy scraps. I can bring Shulk there and he can figure something out," Misaka suggests. Gesturing to Touma, Saten, and Uiharu, she continues. "You three can stay here and make the stage look nice. Here's my bag," she says, tossing over a duffel bag to Saten. "It has a bunch of stage decorations I found around the dorm."
"Yes, ma'am!" Saten answers with a playing salute. She points to the rest of her makeshift stage crew and issues her first commands. "Uiharu! Touma! Let's set up the stage,"
"Right..." Touma sighs. Uiharu nods along. The group pushes open a door and walks back into the sunny courtyard.
"Shulk, let's go!" At Shulk's nod, the two jog through the dorm's halls, weaving through the crowd. There are doors to classes Shulk barely makes out. Science classes, history classes, and more. Finally, near the end of the hall, there is a metal door labeled "Scrapyard."
"Here we are." Misaka points at the door. "There's tools and stuff you engineer types know how to use. We should hurry."
"Right!" Shulk heads in and looks for the lightbulbs. "Lightbulbs, lightbulbs...Ah, perfect!" His hands find a small tray full of them and grab it. He also grabs a bin of scrap metal, pulling out pieces and strips.
I wouldn't need to wire these bulbs, right? Misaka can probably light them with her powers. I don't have time to think right now...
Shulk welds the bulbs to the pieces of metal in a hurried manner. It wouldn't do to have the lightbulbs rolling across the stage, so having bases would both look better and have functionality.
"There!" Shulk stuffs the bulbs and metal machines inside a string bag, hoping to himself that they don't crack on the trip back. He comes out of the room. "They're ready!"
"In that case, let's head back." Another look at a clock on the wall reveals the time left. Five minutes. "My performance is coming up!"
The two run through the crowds again and make it to the outdoor stage. With the decorations all across the stage, Misaka and Shulk see Touma and Saten.
"Put the lights on the stage!" Saten says. "You don't have time to rehearse. What's your plan?"
"Eh, I'll just improvise. Thanks for the help, you two. Tell Uiharu I said thanks, too," Misaka says. The group places the modified lightbulbs on the stage.
"Now, go take your seats in the crowd, I've got this."
"Good luck, Mikoto!" Shulk waves. He, Touma, and Saten walk off the curtained stage.
Misaka walks up to the stage and prepares herself for the performance. The curtains of the outdoor stage open, and the "performance" begins. She brightens some of the lights in a beautiful pattern, each tinted with different colors. Her hand runs by a line of the lightbulbs, as the light seems to follow her hand. Continuing, she points at single lightbulbs that respond by shining. She finishes by turning on each bulb at once. Misaka then bows.
The audience stands and claps. The curtains close, and Misaka walks off the stage. She approaches Shulk, Touma, Saten, and Uiharu.
"Thanks for the help, guys. I'm gonna go back to the bathroom to change. Here are some vouchers for some of the food stands." Misaka hands Touma some small slips of paper.
Misaka takes her string bag and runs to the bathroom. Saten and Uiharu look at each other.
"For a performance we stressed out so much over, it was pretty short," Saten sighs dryly.
"I liked it, though! She really did her best to be creative, and it worked!" Uiharu remarks.
Talking to Uiharu seems to remind Saten of something. "What do you think Kuroko's doing right now?"
Shulk's eyes glow blue.
In the bathroom, Misaka is basically naked, when Kuroko teleports behind Misaka.
"Hello, ONEE-SAMA!"
"Kuroko!?"
"We finally have some time alone..."
"WE ALWAYS HAVE TIME ALONE! EVERY NIGHT!"
"Heheheheh..."
Shulk's vision ends.
...Oh no...
He tries to warn Misaka in vain.
"MIKOTO, DON'T GO! IT'S A TRA—'' Kuroko teleports in front of Shulk and slaps a piece of packing tape over his mouth. The rest is history.
End of Chapter 7.